


Reach Out

by Chisotahn



Series: Reach Out universe [1]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-21
Updated: 2009-03-21
Packaged: 2017-10-09 05:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/83403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chisotahn/pseuds/Chisotahn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU; sequel to strangestquiet's <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/83086">Turn Away</a>. Souji has fallen in battle, and the rest of the team moves on without him, with Yosuke taking up the job of leader. They manage to catch the killer and continue on with their lives as best they can, but as time moves on, they begin to question if everything is <i>truly</i> resolved...</p><p>True ending spoilers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Catalyst

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Turn Away](https://archiveofourown.org/works/83086) by [strangestquiet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangestquiet/pseuds/strangestquiet). 



> Many thanks are due! ♥ First of all, thank you to strangestquiet and safelybeds on LiveJournal for giving me permission to write this and for providing so much fantastic inspiration. ♥ The most epic of thanks go also to my dear beta Frigoris, who performed truly heroic service, and to akisazame on LJ who let me bounce ideas around and gave encouragement. This fic exists because of all of you. :)
> 
> This fic also contains some dialogue taken verbatim from the game. Full disclosure!

The instant he hears the name of the woman in white, Yosuke knows they're pretty much doomed.

The seven of them are in the street, the shopping district once again obscured by fog as rain drenches them all, but they don't care about that, not with a goddess floating above them.

But it won't work, it can't possibly work. The shape of the story is all wrong. Izanami isn't waiting for Susano-o, for Amaterasu, for any of the names attached to the Personas they carry. She's waiting for Izanagi, and that's where it all breaks apart, because Izanagi is gone. Souji is gone. And even though they've somehow managed to survive the past four months despite the terrible absence, this is one gap they can't possibly fill.

"If you are so determined to walk down this path, then come. I'll be waiting there," the goddess laughs, and vanishes.

 

....................

 

Yosuke had made a note on the calendar back in July, on a lazy Sunday afternoon. He couldn't remember now why Souji had brought up his departure, only that Yosuke had laughed at his best friend. He'd assured Souji that he had plenty of time to change his mind about leaving, and put a scribbled reminder on the fateful day before tackling Souji back onto the futon.

And then he'd forgotten about it, of course, until February ended and it was time to change the calendar. Yosuke lifted the page, spotted the note on March 21st, and recoiled as if he'd been burned.

What he wouldn't give to have had that much time.

The last time they'd been into the TV world was December, when the fog had rolled into Inaba and not gone away, and they'd grimly chased Tohru Adachi into the television. That had been hard, very hard, but they'd all been motivated by their anger and grief. They had plunged through Magatsu Inaba with ruthless efficiency, fought first Adachi and then the strange being Ameno-sagiri, and at last emerged exhausted but triumphant into the electronics department at Junes.

_We did it, partner_, Yosuke thought as they turned Adachi over the police, before he staggered home and collapsed into bed, shaking so much he couldn't properly get the sobs out of his throat. When he finally fell asleep, he dreamed of the strange, soft blue room one last time.

After that, the months passed in a dull haze; Yosuke was grateful for the gradual numbing that time brought to his emotions. It had been too hard to shuffle through each day tense and raw, with people whispering when they thought he couldn't hear them. There were still little reminders everywhere, small things that hit them all hard. Kanji nearly got expelled for threatening a bunch of third-years who'd been saying things about Souji, and when Kashiwagi tried to sit a new student at Souji's desk, Chie glared so ferociously that even their formidable homeroom teacher was cowed. But they stuck together, all seven of them, and somehow they managed.

Still, despite the passage of time, Yosuke wakes up on March 20th with a lump in his throat. The 21st is still marked with that damn scribble; today would have been Souji's last full day in Inaba, provided Yosuke hadn't convinced him otherwise. He really doesn't want to get up - it would be so much easier to just sleep through today and tomorrow as well, to carry him over the threshold into a time when Souji would have been gone anyway. But his phone is buzzing insistently, and he can't ignore it.

"Yosuke-senpai. I've received a letter I think we should all discuss together." It's Naoto, but her words are tinged with uncertainty. Strange.

"A letter? From who?" Yosuke blinks blearily at the wall, deliberately not looking at the calendar.

"It appears to be from Adachi."

That gets Yosuke's attention; he sits up, startled. "From Adachi? Why?"

"It seems he has some concerns about the case."

Naoto's words make Yosuke's stomach twist; he hasn't thought about _the case_ for a long time. "What? How can he possibly..." He cuts himself off with a shake of his head. "Okay. Let's meet at the floodplain. The gazebo."

"I'll call the others," Naoto replies, and hangs up.

They don't meet at the Junes food court anymore; seeing the empty chair at the table hurts too much. There are memories of Souji scattered all around Inaba - Yosuke can't bring himself to go to the banks of the Samegawa yet - but they agreed on the gazebo a few months ago. It's not their special headquarters, but it's something.

Yosuke gets ready slowly, and by the time he squeaks his bike up to the gazebo, everyone else is already there. The letter is in Naoto's hands; she's waited for him before sharing it with the others. "Hey, Senpai," Kanji says, scooting over on the bench to make room for him at the end. But the murmur of greetings is brief; they all know what they're here for, and it isn't to say hello.

Naoto pulls out the letter. "This letter arrived this morning. I took the liberty of reading it already, and I think it's something we should discuss as a group." She glances up at Yosuke as if for permission to continue; he nods quickly, vaguely embarrassed. Sometimes, like today, it still seems faintly surreal for everyone to look to him as the leader, even though he accepted that burden months ago. No one actually calls him 'Leader' - that title is reserved for Souji - but that's what he's become, all the same.

While at first Adachi's words seem unimportant, Yosuke starts to frown partway through. "'It's about how it all started, about that Midnight Channel,'" Naoto reads. "'Someone told me about it when I first came to town, before I heard the rumors at the station. And I was intrigued when I noticed that something similar was written on Namatame's reports as well.'" Naoto glances up from the letter and sighs. "I've seen those reports myself... though I didn't realize their relevance at the time..."

Kanji shoots Naoto a warning look as her tone starts sliding into guilt, and her cheeks turn just a little pink for a moment before she recovers and continues to read. "'But I can't remember who it was that told me. Since Namatame and I both gained our power after coming to Inaba, I have a feeling that has something to do with it. I don't know if any of this will be useful or not, but I hope it can help somehow.'"

There is silence for a long moment after Naoto finishes. "After coming to Inaba, huh?" Chie says, finally, forehead wrinkled slightly in confusion. "But... that doesn't make sense... does it? Can't we enter the TV because of our Personas? Isn't he getting things out of order here?"

They've all seen Adachi's Persona, his Magatsu Izanagi; the sight of that too-familiar form twisted and distorted had given them pause. But Namatame... "Namatame didn't have a Persona," Yosuke says, slowly. "And he could _definitely_ enter the TV."

"My thoughts exactly," Naoto replies, a serious expression on her face. "And... Souji-senpai was also able to enter the TV before his Persona awakened, correct?"

Yosuke nods, and resists the urge to bite his lip. "Yeah."

Across the table, Chie also nods, just slightly. "So what's Adachi getting at, here?"

"Our Personas were all awakened because we faced our Shadows within the TV world," Naoto says, slowly. "That was the catalyst for us. After that, we were able to enter the TV as well. And yet... here we have three people, all coming to Inaba from the outside..."

"... all able to enter the TV before doing any of that," Yosuke finishes, frowning. "So there's another catalyst?"

"After coming to Inaba... Namatame wasn't back in Inaba for very long before this started happening, and Souji... wasn't either," Yukiko says, quietly. "So whatever it was got them when... they got here?"

"Adachi mentions that he heard about the Midnight Channel before he heard the rumors at the station... perhaps on the way there." Naoto's brow furrows in thought. "Ameno-sagiri told us that it granted power to enter the TV world. Could it be that it has another agent somewhere here in Inaba? Someone or something that touched Adachi, Namatame, and Souji-senpai?"

A little chill runs down Yosuke's spine, and he remembers what the strange being said after they defeated it. _If mankind so wishes, I will return at any time... I am always at your side, watching..._ "This... really might not be over..."

"It's still foggy in the other world," Teddie puts in; he's the only one to go there, these days. "And there's still Shadows."

The conversation becomes animated as they debate and push theories around; part of Yosuke is tired and frustrated at the idea of there still being work to do... but for the most part, he's actually kind of relieved. It's something to do besides sit around and coast blankly through empty day after empty day.

In the end, they resolve to go ask around Inaba and look for clues; the trail might be very cold by now, but Yosuke gets the feeling he's not the only one relieved as the team scatters off into the streets. As he kicks his shaky bike into gear, he glances up at the clouds. _Might rain later,_ he thinks, idly, as he turns towards the shopping district.


	2. Velvet

It happens so quickly, between one breath and the next. One moment, Yosuke's walking down the main street of the shopping district, a slight frown on his face - nobody knows anything, nobody's been helpful, and it's probably going to rain soon and he doesn't have his umbrella with him. He walks past Daidara's-

-and then, in the very next blink, his vision blurs and everything _shifts_, like he's going to faint. Yosuke stops, closes his eyes, and waits for the dizziness to pass. _Must be overdoing it..._

But what he sees when he opens his eyes again isn't the shopping district at all. It's the place from his dreams, the soft blue room - actually the inside of a limousine, he realizes, distantly - the woman in blue, the long-nosed man. Yosuke stares for a moment, certain he's dreaming again. "W-what the..."

"Welcome," the long-nosed man says, with a smile. "Oh, don't worry. You won't be our guest for long."

Yosuke swallows, hard, and takes a step back; his legs bump against a seat. The long-nosed man gestures for him to sit, and he does, his gaze flicking to look outside the windows. There's nothing but asphalt and bright haze outside, but the room... car... thing... isn't moving. "Where am I?"

"You are in the Velvet Room," the man replies, still smiling. "Such a fascinating destiny you have all forged for yourselves - when it seemed all was lost, that it would become too dangerous to continue, you still managed to move ahead and clear a path to the truth. Most intriguing."

Yosuke bites his lip - yep, it hurts. "This isn't a dream?"

"It is a crossroads," the woman in blue says, giving him a look he can't decipher.

The long-nosed man chuckles. "You have been brought here today for a reason. You are not the same as our usual guests... you have stepped into a role that you were not destined to take."

Yosuke folds his arms defensively. "Hey, I- we did the best we could!" He tries not to let his voice crack at the end, and mostly succeeds.

"And you have all performed admirably," the man says. "Yet new pathways through the fog continue to appear. Do you still desire the truth?"

"I..." Part of him _almost_ wants to say no; he thought they'd already done everything they set out to do, and they're all tired of this long and arduous path. But they've come this far, and he made a promise to Souji to see this through to the end. That last part decides everything for him. "Yes."

The man's smile grows wider. "Then let us see what has already been established." He flicks one finger, and suddenly the air between him and Yosuke is buzzing, cluttered with strange, bright shards. "Ah... most intriguing indeed. These are shards of power, allowing one to see through to the truth of things without being swayed by hollow rumors. Though they are disparate, collected and brought together by many hands... I believe they can still be made whole." The man nods, just once. "Then I shall play my part as well."

Yosuke takes a breath to ask what the man means, but he doesn't get a chance - his first word is eclipsed by a bright flare as the shards coalesce, coming together with a sharp, almost dissonant sound. The pieces tremble for a moment, as if they could fall apart with the barest provocation, but then they meld, flowing smoothly into an orb the size of Yosuke's fist.

"Ah..." the long-nosed man breathes. "Wonderful." He glances at Yosuke over the curve of the orb. "This is a crystal of power which you have all nurtured during your journey, an orb that repels fabrications of all sorts, dispels lies, and shines upon the truth. Though it has passed through many hands, it remains whole."

Yosuke just stares at it, that familiar, gut-twisting feeling in his stomach again, the one that pops up every so often - that he shouldn't be here, that it should be Souji in this chair right now, not him. But he swallows, forces the feeling away, and makes himself speak. "Can it... can you... tell me what I should do?" The words come out a little more desperate than he wanted.

"The choice must be yours, or it loses all meaning," the woman in blue says, her voice utterly calm.

"Yet there are pieces you are missing, gaps you cannot fill without guidance." The long-nosed man beckons with one finger, and the orb bobs over to him. "You have struggled past a nearly insurmountable loss to find the truth. For that, I will aid you in understanding - but the choice itself must be your own."

Yosuke swallows again and nods, because he doesn't trust himself to speak. The orb glows again under the man's touch, then floats over to Yosuke, hovering in front of him where he can see down into its depths. For a moment it seems completely normal, with the soft lines and striations one would expect from crystal - and then the surface abruptly clears, and a scene appears.

And Yosuke _really_ can't talk now, because what he sees is Souji. His hands tighten convulsively. "A vision of the past," the long-nosed man says, his voice softer than before. "Take from it what you can."

It's the gas station, and Souji is getting out of Dojima-san's old car, the one that was totaled in the accident in November. Nanako-chan is there too, and Dojima-san, and the gas station attendant, but Yosuke can't take his eyes off of Souji... but _no_, there must be something important that he has to see, something that they desperately need, otherwise he wouldn't be in this strange place. Yosuke makes himself focus, forces himself to take in the rest of the scene.

There is no sound, only sight, so Yosuke can't tell what Souji is saying to the gas station attendant - but, as the two smile at each other and move to shake hands, something new happens. When their hands touch, the scene ripples and fuzzes like static; at the same time, Yosuke feels an odd resonant _twist_ somewhere deep inside his mind.

A moment later, Souji puts his hand to his head and wobbles slightly on his feet - and then the scene is gone, and Yosuke takes a deep, shaky breath, trying to regain his composure.

The long-nosed man beckons the orb back, holding it for a moment between thumb and forefinger. "Once it is truly found, the truth can never be lost. Remember that." The orb vanishes, to Yosuke's vague surprise. "It may be that the journey can indeed continue."

"What do you mean?" Yosuke manages.

"There are so many possibilities, yet all are shrouded in fog. But the choice-"

"Must be mine, I know," Yosuke groans, slumping in his chair. What did he do to deserve this?

The long-nosed man folds his hands and peers over them at Yosuke. "You have what you need. Now make your decision, and walk down your path unflinching."

Yosuke opens his mouth to ask another question, but then the world wavers again. He has a brief sense of forward motion, of the car-room-thing beginning to move under him, and then he's back in the shopping district, wobbling on his feet. For a moment, he's sure it really was a dream, until he glances down the street at the gas station. It's starting to rain now, the first sprinkles of a spring storm, and there's a familiar figure there, a shadow at the edges.

Yosuke's eyes narrow. Even if it was a dream, it can't hurt to at least check. He edges under the nearest overhang and pulls out his cell. "Hey, Chie? Meet me at Daidara's, as soon as you can... who's with you? Okay. Bring them. I'll call the others." He pauses. "I think... I might have found a lead."


	3. Crossroads

It doesn't take long for the team to gather, and within half an hour Yosuke's leading them down the street towards the gas station. It's raining in earnest now, but he doesn't really care. "So what's this lead?" Chie asks, glancing at him, confused. "Who'd you talk to?"

"I... I had help. Look, just trust me, okay?" Yosuke can't begin to explain it, and he's already decided not to try. If what he saw was real, then the next few minutes should reveal everything. And if not... well. He'll deal with that if it happens, but he has to find out, one way or the other.

The gas station attendant is standing on the sidewalk, and as the seven of them come to a confused halt, she arches one eyebrow at them. To Yosuke's shock, her first words remove any doubt. "So the last battle wasn't enough for you?"

The rest of the team stares; Yosuke finds his voice first. "Who are you?" he says, sharply.

The attendant laughs. "Surely you must know by now... isn't that why you came?" She glances at them all, in turn, and smirks. "But someone's missing."

"That's not the point," Yosuke grates, letting sudden anger carry him past the pain of that reminder. "_Who are you?_"

"Still, he did well enough," the attendant continues, utterly ignoring Yosuke's question. "You were all drawn to the spark I stirred in his soul... and that's why you're here now, with your awakened powers. Though I didn't think you'd make it all the way to me. Not alone."

"We ain't alone, damnit!" That's Kanji, and Yosuke nods, still staring at the attendant.

She just chuckles and raises one hand, smiling - and then a wave of dizziness washes over them all. Yosuke staggers and drops to the wet asphalt as the rest of the team falls around him; for one moment he's terrified _no they can't all go not like this not here not-_ but then sanity reasserts itself. "Three touches, three gifts, three outsiders," the attendant continues. "They were more than sufficient to stimulate a small place like this."

She turns and takes a few steps away; the team follows her with their eyes, unable to stand just yet. "But it seems the stimulus was stronger than I imagined - enough to envelop this town with fog, and later lift it. Not only that, but you all stand before me as if your assigned parts weren't enough. What for?"

"Because if you're here, then this isn't over!" Naoto's struggling to keep her voice level, for once.

"We promised we'd follow this to the end," Chie adds.

"... For Sensei," Teddie says, quietly.

The attendant raises one eyebrow again. "Chasing the fallen? What a useless endeavor."

"I don't care what you think," Yosuke says, gritting his teeth. "We want the truth, damnit!"

She frowns, as if offended. "You are bit players. Your part in this is _more_ than over. Go back to your small lives and be content with what you achieved."

"We want the truth," Yosuke repeats, stubbornly. "Who are you?! Why did you do all of this?"

"What will grasping the truth do for _you?_" she scoffs. "Why such greed? I guess it's the foolish nature of being mortal..."

Somehow, the emphasis she places on _mortal_ is almost an insult; and Yosuke opens his mouth to scream at her - but then there's fog, suddenly, curling out from behind every building, from around every corner, hissing in to surround them as if it's December again. For a moment, Yosuke can't see anything but white. But movement above makes him look up, and what he sees makes his blood run cold - she's floating over them, dressed in a white shroud, mortal guise gone.

"I... am Izanami," she says, and Yosuke knows they're doomed.

 

........................

 

It's been some time since they last crept through the electronics department in Junes; once they were sure they didn't _have_ to enter the TV anymore, they pretty much stopped going. Yosuke makes a point of avoiding that section when he works, pressing any tasks there on the other part-timers. They listen to him, mostly; there's an edge of assertion in his voice now, something that makes them pay attention.

The journey inside makes Yosuke's stomach flip over, for more reasons than just disorientation, and then they're in the familiar, fog-choked backlot. Rise immediately steps forward, calling Kanzeon to her as she puts on her glasses; the Persona shimmers into being, seeming to almost embrace Rise before settling the visor over her eyes.

Yosuke finds his own glasses in his bag, though he pauses as his fingers bump a second pair of lenses. He has Souji's glasses too, picked up off the floor after everything had happened - an afterthought, at the time. He's kept them with him ever since.

"I sense a tremendous presence," Rise says, suddenly, her voice trembling. "It's unlike anything we've faced before." She slumps slightly, and Kanzeon vanishes.

"It has to be her," Yosuke says, grimly. "She really is waiting." What he wants so badly to say is _let's go, let's make sure this can never happen again_, but the shape of the story is still _wrong_. He isn't sure if they can do this.

Rise turns to look off into the haze, then glances back at Yosuke over her shoulder. "Senpai..."

"Yeah, I know." Yosuke looks miserable. "Do you think she really is... well..."

"Our Personas bear the names of mythological beings as well, but I doubt that your Susano-o is _truly_ the god of storms," Naoto says, looking pensive. "And yet this Izanami conferred a clearly supernatural gift, and she did it in the 'real' world, where our Personas cannot manifest."

"You think she's _really_ Izanami... really a goddess?" Yukiko says, very quietly.

"I don't know," Naoto says, looking uncomfortable. "Those points alone aren't enough evidence to support such a claim, and yet..."

Naoto trails off, and for a long moment nobody speaks - but the looks they share say volumes. They're all worried, they're all a little afraid, and they're all sharply aware of Souji's absence.

"So you think we should all roll over and die because Senpai ain't here, that what you're sayin'?" Kanji says, breaking the awkward silence.

"No, but..." Yosuke shrugs, hopelessly.

"And if we go home right now?" Naoto asks. "What happens then?"

Yosuke doesn't have to think about that - the answer is more guilt, more wondering what might have been. More things he doesn't want. "I... I don't know about the rest of you, but.. I think I have to at least try. Even if it's _stupid_. You guys don't have to come with me," he adds, only to have them all look at him as if he's insane.

"What are you _talking_ about? Of course we're going to kick her ass." Chie glares at him for even vaguely suggesting otherwise.

"H-hey, think about this for a second," Yosuke tries.

But Naoto interrupts him this time. "We've come so far - I don't think any of us can let it end here."

"It might have been easier if we'd chosen to turn away before... but we didn't," Yukiko says, softly. "And I'm not going to turn away now."

"Damn right!" Kanji nods firmly. "Go back to our 'small lives', my ass!"

"We have to at least try." Rise agrees.

"For Sensei!" Teddie proclaims, energetically.

"You're sure? Really, really sure?" Yosuke asks, looking at them all seriously - this is _dangerous_, and probably stupid, and quite possibly suicidal, and he doesn't want them to come only because he says so. That's a burden he knows he can't handle.

"Yes, stupid," Chie sighs, elbowing him, and the others all nod in unison.

Yosuke stares at them all with an expression of indescribable relief. "Thanks," he says, quietly. "Even if we have to fight every inch of our way... I want to do this. I want to at least try, no matter what happens."

"We'll go together," Teddie confirms.

Yosuke turns towards the distant fog, more grateful than he could ever express. "Okay. Let's do this!"


	4. Delusions

They don't go to Izanami that day; an adversary of that level demands preparation and planning. Still, they do peek into the new space that's formed in the fog of the TV world. It's strange, but somehow soft, more deliberately ordered, almost sterile. There's none of the chaos they've come to expect. It's almost scarier, for all that - but the Shadows sliding along the starkly elegant corridors are familiar, and they know how to deal with Shadows.

Yosuke doesn't think he's that good at tactics; he knows he doesn't have the swift instincts that Souji possessed. Still, he's learned how to cope, and it's not like he's alone in this. Their planning meeting at the gazebo the next morning is long and intense, and things happen quickly after that. Yosuke dumps most of his motorcycle savings into new equipment for the seven of them, and they head into the TV world with grim determination.

"So you came," comes the soft, mocking chuckle as they step through the arches into Yomotsu Hirasaka.

Izanami keeps whispering to them as they ascend towards her, bitter, almost mocking mentions of despair, hope, and emptiness that make Yosuke's skin crawl. They're coming unprepared, without the key they so desperately need, and she knows it. But there's no way they can just turn away, even knowing what they're missing. Yosuke's long since done with that. They all are.

And then it's time, or very nearly so, and the seven of them crouch in a huddle at the summit of Yomotsu Hirasaka. Ahead of them, the path stretches through square arches reminiscent of torii gates to frame a suspiciously wide platform. "I can sense her," Rise says, her voice trembling just a little. "She's there."

"What're we gonna do?" Chie breathes, glancing at Yosuke.

"Maybe we can... I don't know, reason with her or something? This doesn't _have_ to end in a fight," Yosuke says, though he knows the chances of that are small. He glances at Naoto in turn; he's gotten a bit better at this whole leader thing, but he's still no good at diplomacy.

"That is a possibility," Naoto acknowledges. "But if that fails?"

Yosuke is grateful for that _if_, rather than the _when_ he knows they're all thinking. "Then... we fight."

The others nod as one, and that's all the discussion that's really needed. Before they go, Yosuke transfers Souji's glasses from his bag into his pocket. A sort of talisman, perhaps.

She appears as they step through the last gate, a faint smile on her face as she floats above them. "Congratulations on making it this far... but your path ends here."

Yosuke takes a deep breath and steps forward. "All we want is the truth. You started all this, didn't you? _Why?_"

"You granted certain individuals the power to enter the TVs," Naoto says, and Yosuke relaxes slightly; she's so much better at this sort of thing. "You created the Midnight Channel as well. And lastly, you started a rumor about the Midnight Channel to raise its public awareness. Is this correct?"

Izanami's mocking smile seems to deepen. "Correct, save one point. The 'Midnight Channel' is indeed a device to draw hearts into this world. But it was always your individual wills that determined what appeared on it. The want to show, and the want to see... I granted a 'window' that catered to both. That is all."

"Are you saying... all you did was give that initial spark to Senpai and the others, then watched things unfold?" Rise demands. "The rumors spreading, things going wrong... that was all our fault?!"

"I granted a simple gift, to take the measure of humanity's true desire. Everything that has happened is merely an expression of that desire."

"But we got rid of the fog, didn't we?" Yosuke grits his teeth. "Doesn't that count for something?"

"I granted a gift," Izanami repeats, her smile fading into bitterness. "And what did humanity show me in return? Ugliness, base hunger - desire for petty pleasures and sordid secrets at any price. No, the fog remains here, in this realm that echoes the human unconscious. It will eventually return, called out in response to humanity's endless need for delusion."

"That's not true," Yosuke shouts, his tenuous patience slipping, but Naoto once again raises her voice and overrides him.

"I must agree that the vast majority of people are exactly as you say, but you must recognize that there is potential for change. Our mere presence here is evidence of that!"

"We don't intend to live that way," Chie affirms, putting her hands on her hips and glaring up at Izanami.

"If we were fine with the world you're makin', we'd never have come this far, damnit," Kanji adds.

"It is you who fail to recognize the truth you want so desperately," Izanami replies, looking down at them. "Even now, you continue to embrace delusion. You see only what you want to see, and believe only what you wish to believe. You truly are no different than the others, for all your awakened power - a power that I first granted to three people, and for what? One used it as a plaything, frittering it away for his own twisted amusement. The second failed to recognize what he had... and while the third showed some promise, well." She smirked. "He failed, and I have no use for failures."

"You sonofa-" Kanji growls, and Chie hisses something furious and incoherent.

Yosuke's kunai are in his hands, though he can't remember pulling them out, and he barely resists throwing them at Izanami's face. "Shut the hell up," he says, voice low, and this time Naoto doesn't override his words. "We're here now because of the person _you_ say is a failure - and we'll do whatever it takes to finish what he started!"

Izanami's eyes narrow, and suddenly there's fog creeping in from everywhere, as it did in the shopping district. "I told you that chasing the fallen was a useless endeavor," she says, her voice low as the mist obscures her completely. "Another truth that you refuse to accept."

Their glasses do absolutely nothing against this fog, and Yosuke takes a step back. But the haze thins almost as quickly as it appeared, fading, twisting away-

_... Shit._

"Whoa! Geez, it's huge!" Chie yelps.

Yosuke stares up at the white form floating above them - now much, _much_ bigger, nearly all pretense of human form gone. But that helps, somehow; they've fought weird things before, no problem. _No problem._

Right?

Izanami's distorted tones echo against the remaining fog. "Knowledge of the truth is not everything. Yet drunk with truth, you exceeded your roles, and became too involved. Now, learn for yourselves whose wrath you have brought down..."

Yosuke swallows, hard, then finds his voice. "Come on, guys, let's go! We've been through worse than this," he shouts, hoping against hope that he's right - and there's that feeling again, twisty and cold, that he's once again somewhere he shouldn't be. It really, _really_ should be Souji here, urging the team forward, taking up a fighting stance in front of this monster-goddess-thing. Not him.

But they don't have a choice.

Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji run to stand by his side, spreading out in a rough half-circle around Izanami's huge form; Yosuke knows the others will protect Rise, and help if needed. He fumbles for his headphones, and as soon as he hits play and the familiar music floods his hearing, he starts to relax, just a little.

_It's just another fight. We can do this._

"And yet you still cling to your delusions," Izanami hisses.

"We're not just fighting to solve the case anymore!" Chie shouts back, bouncing angrily from foot to foot.

"Then come, sinful sons of man," the goddess replies, dark hair billowing around her.

"This will end it all... we have to believe," Rise whispers, Kanzeon's power carrying her words.

_Believe what you wish to believe._


	5. Curses

As the goddess towers over them, Yosuke calls Susano-o - but not to attack, not yet. His job is to protect them all, as much as he can, and the Persona lends his power to the task. It's Chie who will have the first blow, and she measures up their opponent with narrowed eyes before sending Suzuka Gongen forth. As the Persona swings her weapon at Izanami, Yosuke realizes he's holding his breath - but the blow lands, and the goddess flinches involuntarily.

"Yes! We can hurt her!" Rise's voice is jubilant, relieved, and Yosuke starts breathing again.

"Then we have a chance," he says grimly, then grits his teeth as Izanami retaliates with a sharp shockwave that nearly knocks them all down.

Things blur together after that. The battle is a cautious, deliberate exercise in balancing offense and defense; Izanami is without a doubt the most dangerous opponent they've ever faced. The best they can do is whittle away at her with all their strength. Chie is an angry powerhouse, pouring everything she has into her Persona's physical attacks; Kanji follows each of Suzuka Gongen's blows with a powerful strike of his own. Yukiko's healing is incredibly attentive, almost - but not quite - to the point of being overkill. Yosuke understands why without having to ask.

Yosuke's own job is a little different. As with their fight against Ameno-sagiri, he feels almost at one remove. While he and Susano-o deal as much damage as any of the others, sending powerful blasts of wind searing into Izanami's face, part of him constantly observes the shifts in the tide of battle as Rise feeds him information. It's a little dizzying, giving orders - but he's rather proud of how well they're holding their own, considering.

Still, the goddess is no pushover; she gives better than she gets, and they're all knocked down and battered more than once. They might be hurting her, but it's only a little at a time, and she is most definitely hurting _them_. They're all flagging by the end, slowing down - but they're so close.

"Only a little more!" Rise says, tension evident in her tone. "Go, go, go!"

Chie's next strike doesn't quite manage it, to her frustration, so it's Kanji who steps forward to deal the deathblow, a serious expression on his face as his Persona materializes in front of him. "That's it - you're goin' down, right now! Take _this_, you damn freak!"

It's not exactly a brilliant line, but that doesn't matter. Lightning shocks through Izanami's form, and they all lean forward, tensing, waiting-

"Did you intend to defeat me with such feeble strength?" Her tone is light, mocking, and sends chills shooting down Yosuke's spine.

"It ain't workin'?!" Kanji stares slack-jawed for a moment, then calls Rokuten Maoh again. Maybe it was a fluke, maybe Rise was underestimating - but, as before, the bolt seems to have no effect. "Senpai! Bitch ain't goin' down!"

"She... she shouldn't be able to...! There's nothing _left_! Let me try scanning her again-" Rise splutters, obviously trying not to panic.

"C-can you _kill_ a goddess?" is the only thing Yosuke can think of to say, as Yukiko follows up with a desperate explosion of flame that clearly connects, but just as clearly doesn't do a damn thing.

"How should I know?!"

_Okay, okay, don't freak out-_ Yosuke makes himself take a deep breath, then calls Susano-o with a single sweep of his kunai. His own Persona shimmers into being above him, and he watches with clenched fists as Susano-o sends a powerful blast of wind directly at Izanami's head.

Nothing.

_Damnit-_

Izanami chuckles. "Can you not understand? It is impossible to defeat me. You cannot atone so easily for your foolish pride-" and then a burst of energy drowns her words as Suzuka Gongen lunges into her. The goddess flinches, and for a moment Yosuke's breath catches in his throat, hoping - but no, it doesn't _goddamn work_. "You understand nothing, I see," Izanami hisses as the Persona vanishes. "Ignorant mortals!"

The goddess' next attack nearly drops them all to the ground, and Yosuke staggers, his vision blurring. _This isn't... we can't... damnit..._

"Chie-senpai needs help!" Rise shouts, but Yosuke just stares blankly up at Izanami. "Yosuke-senpai?!"

It's very faint, but past Rise's desperate cries, there's another voice in his head - not his Persona, but something else. Someone else.

_This is a crystal of power which you have all nurtured during your journey, an orb that repels fabrications of all sorts, dispels lies, and shines upon the truth. Though it has passed through many hands, it remains whole._

Yosuke blinks; Rise is still calling his name, but that doesn't seem important as the voices of the Velvet Room's occupants ring through his memory.

_Truth is a thing which only appears to those who have observed, considered, and made a choice. At the end of the path you chose lies the truth. Believe in it, and continue without faltering._

There's something in front of his unfocused eyes, a curl of mist in the air that seems brighter, different. Yosuke reaches out for it as if summoning Susano-o, and the second his hand touches it, it coalesces - the bright orb from that afternoon, from the Velvet Room. As his fingertips tap the surface, the orb floats upwards, out of reach.

It bobs in the air, just once, and shatters - and as it breaks, it shines with a light like nothing Yosuke's ever seen before. It's so bright that Yosuke can't possibly look directly at it; he turns away, shielding his eyes with one arm, and he hears the others' startled gasps. "Senpai?!" Rise shouts, frantically.

"It's okay, it's okay, this is good-" Yosuke manages, his heart pounding. Surely this is it, this is the answer. This will finally bring down Izanami and save them all. It has to. Why else give it to him-

The sound of Izanami's mocking laughter is like being stabbed in the gut. A foul, rotting stench washes across them all, like a thousand dead things left to decay in the summer sun.

"Well, then. Allow me to show you my full splendor..."

Yosuke desperately blinks away the afterimages from the orb's glare, then focuses - and abruptly wishes he hadn't. The surge of sheer terror that grips him is like nothing he's ever felt before, save on the day Souji died. He can hardly parse the being in front of him; it's nothing but rotting flesh, innumerable twisted limbs, and a massive, searing _power_ that he can barely comprehend.

"I... am a _god_," Izanami-no-Okami exults; Yosuke distantly hears somebody retch behind him. "I'll teach you the truth of your minuscule existences."

"L-look out!" Rise gasps in his ear. "We've never seen anything like her!"

_We're dead_, Yosuke thinks, numbly. This isn't how it was supposed to work, surely the orb's purpose wasn't this, surely-

Somehow, they manage to dodge her first strike, a wild flailing of those rotting limbs that rakes great gashes in the floor. Sheer, primal fear does a lot to speed up even the most exhausted among them. Yosuke's heart pounds wildly as he calls Susano-o forth to grant them all protection, but he's sure, beyond sure, that it's too flimsy to last. Not against something like this. The stench alone is so terrible he can hardly breathe.

"Damnit," he hears Kanji mutter - and then the goddess is on them again with her decaying claws. Yosuke tumbles to the ground as he desperately dodges, but he hears Yukiko scream in pain, a terrible, strangled sound that makes him want to throw up. Distantly, he sees Amaterasu spin into the air, feels the sudden warm wash of the Persona's power healing their injuries. As he staggers to his feet, he glances over at Yukiko; she's still on the ground, white-faced but whole, and Chie is standing between her and the goddess, shaking with rage.

"The stage is already set for your demise," the rotting goddess says. "I'll end your lives here."

"Never," Chie grates, just before a storm of lightning descends from above.

"Senpai!" Kanji shouts; Yosuke can barely think through a haze of pain. Their retalation is clumsy, desperate, and mostly futile; Yukiko heals them as best she can, but the truth is inescapable. This isn't a battle now, not anymore. Izanami-no-Okami is toying with them, a goddess of death bringing them to the brink repeatedly, watching them desperately try to recover before she knocks them back. They get a few hits in, here and there. It's nowhere near enough.

"Such stubbornness," she sighs, as they stagger to their feet again, dragging; Yosuke's dimly aware that he's bleeding. "Such hopeless resistance. The time has come to end this charade."

_Oh. That's good_, Yosuke thinks, muzzily, then shakes his head as Amaterasu's healing brings a fresh wave of clarity to his thoughts. He grits his teeth, hard. It hurts, but the sharp stab of pain helps too. "Susano-o," he says, thickly, swinging wildly with one hand; his Persona leaps forward, looking ludicrously small under the reaching arms of the goddess. Susano-o's attack makes one of those thin, rotting limbs snap unpleasantly, and Yosuke smiles. It's something.

"Goodbye," Izanami-no-Okami whispers. "Accept the reality of your death."

For a moment, Yosuke thinks he's falling, that everything's just become too much - but no, the ground beneath him is bruising, turning dark and mushy under his feet. He stares, unable to move for sheer terror, as the darkness resolves itself into grasping hands, long dark fingers on the end of waving limbs that flail and reach up for him-

"Not this time," he hears Kanji say, and then he really _is_ falling as something slams into him. Yosuke hits the ground so hard that it knocks the wind out of him, and he doesn't properly register what's happened until Rise gasps in horror.

"Kanji-kun! No!"

Yosuke jerks upright, staring - and there's Kanji, standing where Yosuke had been only a moment ago. _He pushed me out of the way-_ The dark hands wrap around Kanji's limbs, dragging him down into the abyss. For one moment Kanji meets Yosuke's gaze.

And then, with a rattling groan, he's _gone_.

"_Kanji!_" Rise screams, and Yosuke dimly hears another strangled cry. _Naoto_, he realizes dully; the shimmer of a healing spell bursts over where Kanji had been standing, but he knows it's futile, just as it was with Souji.

The goddess looms over them, her clawlike hands outstretched. "It's unfortunate that our battle must end this way... but I did warn you. Such temerity," she sighs, and then the ground beneath Yosuke begins to blacken once more.

He tries to scramble away, mind numb with horror, then sees Chie lunging towards him and _stops_, flinging his arms up in a sharp gesture of negation. "_No,_" he all but screams at her, and she skids to a halt, eyes wide with fear. "Get away from me!" Because he can see it in his mind's eye, a living nightmare; all his friends knocking into him one after another, until he's alone and he's watched _all_ of them die, from Souji down to Teddie, and for what?

He isn't special enough to deserve that. He's not Souji.

"No," he manages, again, meeting Chie's horrified gaze, trying to make her understand.

Her confusion lasts just long enough. The next instant there are _freezing_ dark fingers wrapped around him, their tips digging roughly into his skin, and for a moment he's actually relieved as the ground begins to swallow his legs. _Thank goodness, now she won't-_ and then it starts hurting, pain eating away at him from the inside out, and he can't breathe, can't think, can't-

"_Yosuke!_" Rise shrieks, and then everything's gone.


	6. Echoes

There's nothing but mist - roiling, churning, and _filled_ with sound that crashes against everything, dizzying, terrifying, and impossible to comprehend. And yet, slowly, meaning and order begin to emerge from chaos.

_"-morning, Hana-chan... no, I'm fine, don't worry about me-" "-sale on produce this morning, hurry up and stock those-"_

"Will you fucking _listen-_" and that one's new, different, sharper.

_"-do you mean, you broke it?! You're gonna buy me so many steaks-" "-another new transfer student, maybe you'll finally-"_

"Pay attention, you stupid-"

_"-catch him together, you'll see, we'll put an end to all this-" "-special to me too, Yosuke-"_

"Pull yourself together, damnit!"

And then everything snaps together, violently, and Yosuke stumbles to the ground, opens his eyes - and sees himself.

"Fucking _finally,_" his own distorted voice mutters, and yellow eyes blink at him in irritation.

"... what are you doing here?" Yosuke manages, staring at his Shadow, reflexively feeling for Susano-o in the back of his mind and finding only a fleeting, tenuous connection to his other self. There are still strange voices echoing in his ears, their meaning now impossible to decipher. "Where... where is here, anyway?"

All around them is nothing but white mist.

"Think _real_ hard about that."

"I..." Right, they were fighting Izanami, and... that orb-thing, and then she became even _bigger_, and rotting, and then the grasping darkness and Kanji had saved him and- "What... what happened?"

"She _killed us_, dumbass," his Shadow replies, scowling and folding its arms.

Yosuke stares down at his own hands; they look the same as always, not transparent like a ghost's are supposed to be, or sickeningly pale like Souji's face had been after- "I'm _dead?_" he asks, disbelieving.

His Shadow sighs, exasperated. "_Yes_, genius. Are you gonna get up or do I have to make you?"

Yosuke gets to his feet slowly, sounding out every movement he makes, trying to assess how he feels - but all he can come up with is _strange_. There's no pain, not exactly, though he knows there _should_ be considering the beating he took. All around them is mist and whispers, and adjusting his glasses does absolutely nothing. Experimentally, he fumbles his headphones into place and hits play. Nothing but static. "Dead," he repeats, trying to make sense of it.

"You _knew_ it was suicidal, but you kept going anyway, and now you're acting surprised that you all bit it?"

"I thought..." Yosuke starts, but he can't quite finish the sentence. _That everything would still turn out okay in the end._ He'd had those weird dreams, heard the whispers, had that orb thing, and yet...

His Shadow laughs. "At the end of the path lies the truth, huh? If you find any of that bullshit here, let me know."

Yosuke glares at it. "Fine, let's say you're right... so where are we?" He doesn't bother asking why he's still capable of movement or speech at all. All he knows is that this formless, shapeless place isn't anything like what he thought the afterlife would be.

"Use your damn brain." His Shadow leans forward and taps him sharply on the forehead; it doesn't hurt, though Yosuke can feel the pressure of his Shadow's touch. "You already know."

And... he does, Yosuke realizes slowly, as if his Shadow's prodding has shaken the memory loose. _This is part of the sea of unconsciousness that exists within human hearts. A hollow forest born from bloated desire and false imagery._

"Good," his Shadow mutters, shaking its head. "You die here, you stay here - stuck in the void, like the rest of us."

"The rest of you? You mean... other Shadows?" Yosuke frowns.

"You see why I was so happy to see you in that liquor store back then? This place is more boring than your damn Inaba could ever be. Everything's either stuck in limbo or reduced to brainless, oozing piles of instinct. Such fucking fantastic options." His Shadow smiles at him, the expression distorted under its bright yellow eyes. "By the way," it adds, casually, "you really hate it, don't you?"

"...Hate what? Being dead?"

"The expression on their faces when they look at you and you're not _him_."

Yosuke stares at his Shadow, a distant, cold feeling plunging into the pit of his stomach. "Y-you..."

His Shadow just smirks. "You hate him too, don't you? Hate him for leaving you, for making you pick up all the pieces he left behind. It was _so_ hard, you cried _so_ much, yet you still kept going. But nothing you did brought him back, did it? And now you're dead too, and so are the rest of them. You did a great fucking job, _Leader_."

"_Don't_ call me that," Yosuke snarls, and whips a kunai at his Shadow's face.

It snatches the blade out of the air easily, of course. "They were all _right_, you know - the guy with the long nose, the divine bitch who just kicked your ass. 'A role you weren't destined to take,'" his Shadow quotes, mockingly. "'Your part in this is more than over.' But you weren't finished with your petty atonement, were you? Because you miss him _soooo_ much, you loved him _soooo_ much... so much that you couldn't stand for anyone to see you two _together_? That's love, huh?"

"Shut. Up," Yosuke grates. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't regret it every damn day? But your bullshit's not going to work, damnit. Maybe it's true, but it's not the whole truth. _You_ know that, too. Because you're me, and I'm you!"

"Tch," his Shadow scowls. "You're no fun at all. Take my advice - just give in now. You'll thank me! I'm the only thing that can give you oblivion."

"Is that why you helped me? So you could _piss me off?!_"

His Shadow shrugs, and grins hungrily. "You're _way_ more fun like this. We'll see how long you last here... and you'll give in eventually, no matter what happens. Why fight it?"

"If I'll give in eventually, then just _wait_. It's inevitable, right? What, are you scared I'm going to magically not be dead and you'll miss your chance?"

His Shadow just stares at him, then throws the kunai back - but underhand, not as an offensive strike. Yosuke catches the kunai and shoves away the jangle of emotions in his mind; his Shadow's words are painful, and would probably make his eyes sting if he weren't fucking _dead_, but there's also something suspicious about it all. "So what would happen if you... won?"

"Oh, you wanna find out after all?"

"No," Yosuke snaps. "_Tell me._" He reaches out mentally, exerts just a bit of pressure, as if calling up Susano-o - and the Shadow flinches, taking a step back, away from him.

"I _already_ told you," it says, irritated, but also clearly on the defensive now. "Back then."

The memory is sharp, still redolent with the fear he felt back then, when all his strength drained from him as he dropped to the floor of the nightmare liquor store. _Yeah, that's right - I'm ME now! I'm not you anymore, see!?_ His other self twisted into a new form, and he was unable to escape - except then there was Souji, jumping between him and the monster-

"I could have taken everything," his Shadow practically purrs, tugging his attention back to the here and now. "I still can, you know," it adds, but Yosuke mentally twists at it again, and smiles slightly when he sees it recoil a little further. "You would have ended up like your _precious_ Saki-senpai."

Yosuke resists the urge to flinch. "What about her?"

"Oh, you won't find her here. She's _gone_. Completely devoured, nothing left. The same oblivion you're gonna _beg_ me for once you get sick of this endless fog."

"You won't get the chance," Yosuke mutters, walking past his Shadow. "Anyway, if _we're_ dead, and the others... are too, then... they have to be here somewhere, right? Maybe if we find each other-"

"Do you have any idea how big this place is is? I'll give you a hint: it's _really fucking huge_."

Yosuke bites his lip, hard - still no pain, just pressure - and stares past his Shadow at the fog. There's nothing to guide him, just infinite hazy whiteness touched with soft, nearly inaudible echoes. His Shadow looks startling against that emptiness, dark and vivid. "Chie?" he tries. "CHIE?!"

The sound bounces, echoes, and is swallowed up - but something returns. The whispers in the mist sharpen, become clearer in his ears; he can hear Chie's voice, snatches of conversations they once had. Yosuke takes a step forward, desperately, then runs a few feet into the fog... but there's nothing there but sound.

"Lovely echoes, aren't they?" his Shadow says, sardonically. "But that's all they are. Your friends are probably playing games with their Shadows, too." It gives him that hungry grin again. "I wonder what'll happen to them?"

"They've faced their Shadows before. They can handle this," Yosuke mutters, then slumps to the ground. "Damnit-"

His Shadow ambles over to him, crouches, and drapes one arm over his shoulders. "Ready to give in yet?"

"No," he mutters, though he doesn't shove his Shadow away. "Get used to being disappointed."

"Oh, I'm not worried. We've got _lots_ of time for you to change your mind."

For a moment he just sits there, irritated - but his Shadow's words echo, resonate strangely against the fog, and come back-

 

_"Geez, that's what - eight months from now? I'm not worried about that, partner. I've got lots of time to change your mind." Yosuke grinned as he leaned forward and drew a scribble on March 21, 2012. "So that's my deadline, huh?"_

"So how are you planning on convincing me?" Souji raised one eyebrow in amusement.

"Hm. I have a few ideas..." Yosuke tossed the pencil to one side and pounced on Souji, easily tackling him back onto the futon. "Like this, for example."

"That might work," Souji acknowledged, and leaned in to press his lips against Yosuke's.

 

Yosuke sits very still, an idea rising in his mind, both wonderful and terrifying at the same time. "If you die here, you're stuck here."

"_Yes_, dumbass." His Shadow rolls its eyes. "Are you only now figuring this shit out?"

He inadvertently knocks his Shadow flat on its ass as he scrambles to his feet, eyes wide. "Then... _Souji_ could be..."

His Shadow starts laughing. "And you're still hung up on that useless-"

The next second, there's a kunai at its throat; the laughter abruptly stops. "_Shut up_. I'm not going to deny you, but I'm getting pretty damn tempted to see what'd happen if I stabbed you. Don't. Push. It."

His Shadow glares up at him. "He always was the special one, wasn't he? Special to _you_... special in other ways, too. Nothing to hide, no Shadow to fight... and so very, very fucking many Personas. Do you know what that does to your _self?_ You can't imagine having anything like what he had... one was enough, right? And what happened to _you_ when you showed up here? Think about it."

Yosuke does, for a moment, then shudders.

His Shadow's grin grows wider, and he voices the thoughts that make Yosuke's stomach twist. "All those selves. All those _tiny pieces_. And he doesn't have such a _friendly_ Shadow to help him out. No focus, no reminders, no pulling yourself together. Nope, he's fucking toast. So much for being special."

Yosuke pivots away from his Shadow. "Get up."

"Wha-" his Shadow begins, but Yosuke yanks _hard_ at the bond between them, and it scrambles to its feet. "So you really _do_ want to go after him. How... sweet. I'm sure your other friends will be thrilled that you ditched them."

"You just said they had their 'friendly' Shadows to help out," Yosuke says, eyes narrowed. "Souji doesn't, and he's been here way longer - they'll understand." Any of them would do the same thing in his place, he knows.

But his Shadow is his Shadow, and it hears all the things he doesn't say, too. "And you still think you can redeem yourself, tch."

"You've been with me all this time," Yosuke keeps his words even, deliberate. "Yeah, you pissed me off at first, and you're pissing me off now - but you fought with me, too. You're _me_. And if you're me... then you want this too. _You miss him too_. Yeah, I can't deny you... but you can't deny me, either."

His Shadow just looks back at him, silently; a ripple runs through its form, lending hints of red to its hair, and the dark Yasogami High uniform flickers blue for a moment.

"Let's go, already - I don't care how long it takes. We're dead, we've got forever and nothing better to do, right? Let's _go_, Susano-o."

His Shadow smiles, slightly, then vanishes; a moment later, a familiar shape appears next to Yosuke, the Persona almost unbearably vivid against the white mist. _Good_, comes a distant echo, and his Persona dissolves, moving to take up residence in the back of his mind again.

Yosuke slowly turns on one foot, staring out at the apparently endless mist. It's a sea of chaos and echoes... but also of potential, just waiting for a human mind to give it form.

_Let's give it something to do._

He's not at all sure this is going to work, but why the hell not - it's not like he has anything to lose. "C'mon, Souji," he mutters, then pauses as the mist hisses back its echoes at him. But they're faint, terrifyingly so, and what sound he can make out is broken and fizzing, like a bad tape recording. "_Damnit!_ Where are you?!"

His own voice cuts through the whispers, seeming to silence them, and for a moment his stomach twists. But, as the echoes die, something in the mist _shifts_, ever so slightly. It's only barely visible, but there are faint variations in the fog now, gray streaks and lines of discoloration running ahead of him.

A path.

Yosuke smiles grimly and starts to run.


	7. Anchors

He doesn't have any idea how long he's been running. All his usual benchmarks of duration and distance are completely irrelevant here, so Yosuke isn't certain how far he's come when the gray streaks in the fog abruptly run out.

He stops, sharply, blinking at the sudden blankness that surrounds him once more, and his heart sinks. "Souji?" he tries, hopelessly.

The reaction is instant, chaotic, the definition of sensory overload. Yosuke stumbles backwards as his friend's name brings a torrent of rebounding echoes, sound and memory fracturing and breaking in the fog. It's very nearly overwhelming, and Yosuke trips over nothing and falls - but then his Persona is there, unbidden, sheltering him and driving the echoes back so that he can _think_ again.

"Holy..." Yosuke manages, as the insane jumble fades to a dull roar. "Holy _shit_."

It's a million times worse than what happened to him, which makes sense considering how long Souji's been here, and how peculiarly vulnerable his Persona ability must make him in this shapeless place. For a moment, Yosuke feels crushingly guilty - _god, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner_ \- and buries his head in his hands. But he knows he really only has two choices. It's either sit here beating himself up until his Shadow comes out again, or get up and try.

Yosuke gets up.

Susano-o floats over him as he slowly gets to his feet, the Persona still holding off the onslaught, keeping everything from overwhelming him. He can barely make out colorless shapes in the fog now, darting, curling, blinking in and out of existence. Familiar shapes, most of them; he's seen them before in many battles over the time they spent chasing the killer before Souji's death. At the time, he'd thought the ever-increasing numbers of gods, demons, and monsters under Souji's command were fascinating, to the point where he'd almost looked forward to seeing what new Persona his best friend would surprise them with each time.

Now, watching the faint shadows churning in the mist, it just makes him feel sick inside. So many Personas, so many pieces. This whole time, Souji had been quietly fragmenting his _self_ for the sake of their journey, for the sake of the truth. Maybe he hadn't known about the possible consequences.

Maybe he'd known, and just hadn't mentioned it. That sounded like Souji too.

Yosuke's first idea is a total failure - he plunges into the fog after the Persona-shapes, trying to grab at them, to pin them down and make them stay put. It doesn't work, and he ends up flat on his face multiple times as his hands pass right through their indistinct forms. He tries to listen to the echoes around him, to try and drag some inspiration or direction from them, but they're way too jumbled and indistinct to pick apart.

Yosuke sighs and slumps back to the ground, overwhelmed again, but not by the echoes this time. It all seems so _hopeless_. Yeah, sure, he came barreling in all determined, but then he was determined going in to face Izanami, too, and look how well _that_ turned out. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" he groans.

A slightly louder echo catches his attention, and he looks up to see a barely cohesive figure watching him, its dim gaze actually focused rather than blank and dazed. "What?" he asks it, almost accusingly. "Don't pay attention to me - go get your friends and _fix_ this shit, damnit." But the Persona just blinks at him, then fizzes at the edges until the mist claims its form again. "Oh, fine."

He watches the fractured shapes slide past for a few minutes more, then sighs raggedly. Sitting here isn't doing anything either, that much is obvious. "Damnit, Souji... god, I don't even know if you can even hear me, or anything," he says, as another faint figure flits past without so much as a glance at him. "Maybe it's just one more noisy thing... sorry... but _damnit_. I couldn't save you then and I don't know if I can save you now..."

His voice reverberates faintly in the fog, then comes back - and it brings the sound of Souji's voice with it. Yosuke tenses for a moment, then droops again and closes his eyes as he realizes it's just another damn echo, hears his own voice too, and remembers-

 

_"Yosuke!"_

Yosuke glanced over from where the others were deep in conversation with the damned fox - "You jokin'? That's too damn much!" Kanji blustered at the creature's impassive gaze - to see Souji standing by the doorway that led out into the Shadow-infested corridors. His best friend was smiling at him, indicating the door with a slight tilt of his head.

Yosuke sidled away from the others and over to Souji, and the two of them crept out into the hallway without being spotted. "What's up?" Yosuke asked; Souji was clearly pleased and amused, but Yosuke had absolutely no idea why.

"I wanted to show you something." Souji said, then pivoted on one foot and took a few steps away from Yosuke. He took a deep breath, then made the familiar sharp gesture that he always used to summon his Personas. The Persona answered him instantly, shimmering into being in front of him.

"Whoa. Another new one?" Yosuke said, bemused; having new faces join them in battle wasn't exactly unusual, but Souji usually didn't look so damn pleased about it. "That's cool...?"

"Its name is Mada," Souji informed him, grinning. "And it's your fault."

Yosuke blinked at that. "My... fault? What're you talking about?"

The Persona dissolved into the air as Souji let his hand fall back to his side. "Like how Susano-o is my fault."

Yosuke stared at him. Souji's friendship, his advice and guidance, had helped Yosuke overcome so much, transfiguring Jiraiya into Susano-o - but he had no idea that it worked both ways. "You have that Persona because of me?_"_

"Yeah." Souji stepped forward until he was standing right in front of Yosuke. "I thought you might want to see... and I wanted to thank you." Before Yosuke could react, Souji pressed his lips against Yosuke's, lightly at first, then more firmly as Yosuke responded by leaning in to the kiss.

"Dude, thank me for what?" Yosuke managed when they paused to breathe.

Souji shrugged. "Everything?"

 

"Yeah, I remember," Yosuke mumbles, his eyes still closed; the memory is fragmenting and breaking away now, like all the rest. "Good thing the fox was being such a jerk that day, or they would've..." _You loved him _soooo_ much... so much that you couldn't stand for anyone to see you two_ together? _That's love, huh?_ Yosuke flinches slightly at the reminder of his Shadow's words. "... I'm sorry. I'm so goddamn sorry-"

And who's going to hear him but himself, his Persona, and what's left of his best friend?

"Everything inside me changed after I met you. I'm... glad we met. I'm glad we had what we had. I'm not sure I did a very good job afterwards... but I had big shoes to fill, y'know? I wouldn't have made it this far if I hadn't had you to show me how... I'm sorry," Yosuke whispers, and he can't get rest of the words out - they're too tangled with his memory of that nightmare foggy midnight, of walking numbly through the empty streets to Junes, his face turned to the sky, to the wires and antennas, looking. Waiting for a corpse.

_I need you. I love you. I'm sorry._

Yosuke sighs again, the sound a broken thing, opens his eyes - and sees the Personas.

There are still dozens of shapes sideslipping blindly through the mist on all sides, but there's also a small group staring at him, still fuzzy at the edges and wavering, but there's definitely a sense of _attention_ there. Familiar, he realizes, though all their names don't come to mind - Pixie, that one he does remember, and the pumpkin-headed one, and so many others. But the one that draws his focus is the blurry shape from that memory, from when Souji thanked him for everything _he'd_ done. As if he'd done something important. Special.

"Heh. You had that Persona because of me, huh?"

His words sound abnormally, startlingly loud, and for a moment he can't figure out why. But the echoes are fading a bit, not gone, but definitely quieter. And the largest Persona, Mada, is gaining cohesion. The other Personas, the fairies, the pumpkin-headed thing, the short one with the jester hat, all of them are fading away, the faint tints of their color mixing with the larger figure, giving it solidity and strength.

And then Mada's gone too, and Yosuke scrambles to his feet, practically diving to catch the tarot card as it drifts downwards into his hands. He shakes for a moment, trying to figure out what on earth's just happened. "Souji? _Souji?_" he calls out, desperately - this is Souji's, he needs to be the one to have it - but there's no reply, just more echoes.

No reply, until he hears another voice and whirls in the fog.

It's not Souji's voice, but it is familiar, and it's not something from memory. "I know this is kind of... stupid, Yuki..."

"Chie?!" Yosuke starts forward, only to see dim shapes in the fog - it's _them_, Chie and Yukiko, sitting on the ground as haze momentarily obscures their features. Their Personas are with them, Amaterasu's long, winglike arms sheltering the pair in its embrace, Suzuka Gongen just behind it.

Yosuke makes a startled noise and takes a step towards them, then stops - there's a strange sense of distance between them, as if the girls would vanish if he got too close. Wherever Chie and Yukiko are, it isn't here, but he can hear their words nonetheless. "Even if it is stupid, I have to say something anyway. Just in case, y'know?" Chie sighs, leaning against Yukiko; their fingers are intertwined, and Yosuke's abruptly glad they managed to find each other.

"I was scared before, and I'm scared now," Chie continues, shaking her head. "I'm such a stubborn, two-faced coward... but you understood me, Souji-kun. I wasn't strong enough back then... and I guess I'm not now, either, but you gave me hope..."

Yukiko squeezes Chie's hand, hard, then looks up, her gaze flicking right past Yosuke; it's obvious they can't see him. "You were our strength. We tried so hard... I'm so sorry I couldn't do more then. I don't know if I can do any more now, not when we're all... here... but..." There's an ache in Yukiko's words that Yosuke understands only too well; she'd taken her inability to revive Souji very, very hard. "If you're here too, I wanted you to know. That's all."

Then Chie squeezes Yukiko's hand back, but this time out of alarm, not comfort. "Yukiko! What's-"

The two of them stare straight past Yosuke, and he can't tell what's happening until Yukiko speaks again, her voice shaky. "Personas...?"

Both Amaterasu and Suzuka Gongen react, rising warily behind their other selves, but the girls are smiling. Then the fog washes over his friends' forms and hides them from view, but it seems to Yosuke that the echoes around him are becoming less jumbled.

"Damnit, Senpai-" The familiar voice makes Yosuke turn, and he sees Kanji in the distance now, still hazy and indistinct, Rokuten Maoh towering over him. "I couldn't protect you, Souji-senpai... I had to make up for it somehow, y'know?" Yosuke shivers, slightly; no wonder Kanji had knocked him out of the way of Izanami's first attempt on his life. "Dunno if it worked... dunno what's gonna happen now. This's probably another dumbass idea, sittin' here talking to myself... but who's gonna know? 'M sorry, anyway. I looked up to you, y'know? Yosuke-senpai tried hard, real hard, but it wasn't quite the same. Just... _damnit_."

Then Kanji also looks up suddenly, taking a step back and nearly knocking into his Persona. "The hell? Who're you guys?"

Everything seems to happen quickly after that; as if motivated by a single idea, familiar faces and voices appear in the fog, speaking as their Personas shelter them from the void. "I'm glad I came to Inaba and met you, Souji-senpai," Rise breathes, standing at Naoto's side.

"You gave me a reason to stay as I am, even though we didn't have as much time together," Naoto adds. "I didn't have a chance to tell you how much that meant to me."

"You were so important to me, Sensei," comes Teddie's voice as Rise and Naoto fade. "You helped give me my life... but I couldn't give you yours. This place is strange, and I think maybe I've been here before, but maybe... just maybe..."

And then there are other voices, belonging to people Yosuke _knows_ aren't here in the void with them, people who are still alive out in the real world - people from school, classmates, friends. All people Souji knew in life, their whispers breaking through the fog as shadows flit in and out of being around him. Yosuke bites his lip hard at their words, feeling like an interloper again - he shouldn't be here, hearing all this. It's too personal, too intimate, and it _hurts_.

Yosuke tries not to listen as he hears Dojima-san's rough voice echoing through the fog, and he mostly succeeds, but the next voice is his undoing. "I miss you, big bro," Nanako-chan cries, and Yosuke nearly collapses right there; her anguish had been the most difficult to face. She was just a child, and she'd lost so much already. "Are you going to leave me behind...? I'll be a good girl... So don't go... I don't want you to go... Big bro..."

It's the closest thing to actual _pain_ that Yosuke's felt since Izanami-no-Okami killed him - and yet, as the sound of Nanako's voice fades, Yosuke realizes suddenly that he's surrounded by silence. Utter, complete silence, and there are no more dim, fragmented shapes sliding through the mist around him. "Souji?" he tries, forcing the name out past the lump in his throat. If he's lost him _again_, he's never going to forgive himself.

There's a sudden odd heat against the palm of his right hand, and Yosuke jumps and nearly drops the tarot card he forgot he was holding. Shakily, he recovers his grip on the thing and stares at it, confused. He could have sworn the picture on it was different before, that it was blue, but now there's color there, four quadrants surrounding a central oval. Unfamiliar.

His own Persona rests one hand on his shoulder, just for a moment, then vanishes.


	8. World

Yosuke swallows hard, his gaze still on the card in his hand. There's only one thing he can think of to do with a tarot card. "Souji, this had _better_ goddamn work," he mutters, squaring his shoulders, then hesitating. Just swiping at the thing with his kunai, the way he calls Susano-o, seems wrong. He feels hesitantly at the edges of the card for a moment before tensing and crushing it in one hand.

For a moment he's certain he's done something wrong; the tarot card seems to crumple under his fingers like ordinary paper, but then it resists. Yosuke blinks as the card shatters in his hand, making that sharp, singing sound that he associates with the power of Persona. He glances up quickly, fully expecting to see Susano-o, but instead there's a darkness slipping out of the fog, rapidly gaining cohesion. Yosuke's jaw drops, and his hand falls limply to his side as a familiar shape resolves itself in front of him. "I-Izanagi?"

The black Persona snaps into solidity, staring at him with an unreadable look in those yellow eyes. "Don't just look at me, god damnit! _Do something!_" Yosuke all but screams at it, hands shaking at his sides. "Do something..." He has to fight back the tears, because he can't think of anything else - but as it turns out, he doesn't need to.

In an instant, Izanagi is surrounded by all those shapes that had vanished from the fog, a wild swirl of power and Personas. The mist seems to sweep over them all, and for a moment Yosuke's frozen in terror that they're all going to break apart again, be eaten by the haze, and he'll be left screaming at nothing. One by one, the Persona-shapes dissolve, and then all that's left is Izanagi again - but _different_, larger, changed in subtle ways. White sweeps over it, changing it, driving away the darkness.

Yosuke stares as the transformed Persona looks at him again, then begins to dissolve as well, sinking downward - and Yosuke freezes as he realizes there's something _there_, something - _someone_ \- for the Persona to go home to. He can't speak, can't move, can't do anything but stare as this new Izanagi vanishes, leaving behind a blinking, dazed, silver-haired form lying on the ground.

And then those gray eyes focus on him, and Yosuke makes a strangled noise and starts forward; still, he hesitates for just one moment before reaching out, suddenly terrified that this, too, will be an illusion and vanish under his hands-

"Y-Yosuke?"

"Oh my _god_ don't ever do that to me again," Yosuke manages, and pulls Souji into his arms, shaking. He squeezes tightly, trying to reassure himself that his best friend is _really_ there, really blinking at him in utter confusion.

"Hey, I can't breathe-"

"That's okay, dude, we're dead. You don't need to breathe," Yosuke reassures him, then laughs in almost hysterical relief as Souji gives him that familiar 'what the hell, you idiot' frown. "_God_, I missed you..."

"Wait, start over - ow..." Souji's gaze is still slipping in and out of focus, but that terrifying pallor from the day of his death is nowhere to be seen, and his clothing isn't stained with blood anymore.

"How do you feel?" Yosuke asks, quickly, shifting so that Souji is leaning against him.

There's a long pause. "... Really, really strange," Souji says, finally, wincing slightly and raising one hand to the side of his head. "I remember... we were inside the TV, and... Shadow got past my guard... it _hurt_... and then it was... _noisy_," he says, confusion on his face, as if trying to articulate something that couldn't possibly be put into words.

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"I couldn't... couldn't _think_, or anything... like a nightmare... but then I heard voices, yours and everyone else's... and then you were here." Souji shakes his head, very carefully. "What happened? Where are we? And what the hell do you mean, _we're dead?_"

"Heh..." Yosuke tries to think of how to put it. "Well... yeah, we're... that Shadow, the one that got past your guard... it kind of, uh. Killed you."

Even though Souji's here in his arms, the words still bring a lump to Yosuke's throat, and Souji gives him the weirdest look before vague horror dawns over his face. "You're serious."

"Yeah. Yeah, I am." Yosuke sighs. "It's March, dude. I think, anyway."

For an instant, there's nothing but a blank, unthinking fear reflected in Souji's eyes - but then he shakes his head again, hard this time, and Yosuke can practically see his best friend shoving the emotions away, hiding them somewhere until he can deal with them properly. "Okay," Souji says, then swallows, hard. "Okay. What happened?" There's a faint tremble in his voice for a few seconds, but then even that disappears.

"Um. We... we did a lot... but it was really hard, without you." Yosuke's grip on Souji's arm tightens convulsively. "But... well, we did it, sort of. We caught the killer-"

It takes a while to explain - _"Adachi?"_ "Yeah, I know..." - but Souji takes it fairly well, considering. "So... everyone else is..." Souji says, slowly, sitting up on his own now, giving the mist around them a wary look.

"Y-yeah. As far as I know." Yosuke sighs raggedly, guilt twisting in the pit of his stomach. "I'm sorry, I'm a crappy-ass leader-"

Souji cuts him off. "_No_, no, you're not. You never should have had to do all this, it was my responsibility-"

"As if you got ki- as if this happened on purpose!"

But Souji doesn't reply to that; instead, he carefully gets to his feet, closes his eyes, then opens them again. "Is it always so hazy here?"

"Yeah - I dunno, here, these might help."

"You carried these with you?" Souji says, quietly, as Yosuke hands him his glasses; one lens has a crack running through it, a testament to the blow that felled him back then.

"Just take them," Yosuke orders, sharply aware of the renewed flicker of dread in Souji's expression. "Look, Souji, I... it was hard, okay, but you're here now, and... we can find the others and... I don't know. Do... something," though he has no idea what. He hasn't planned for anything beyond this moment. What _can_ they do?

Souji puts his glasses on. "You said you went to the Velvet Room?"

"Huh? You mean that blue room with the weird long-nosed guy?" Yosuke blinks at him; that wasn't what he was expecting to hear. "I had a bunch of dreams about them, and before we went after Izanami... I think I ended up there for real."

"Over by Daidara's?" Souji asks, then sighs as Yosuke nods. "Yeah, there's an entrance there. They... helped me, I guess you could say."

"Heh. I thought it reminded me of you, kind of," Yosuke offers, with a wry smile, but then the grin fades. "They showed me when Izanami gave you your power... so that we'd know who to go after, I guess... and then I thought I heard them when we were fighting her, but the thing they gave me didn't goddamn _work_. It just got us all killed." He sighs, heavily. "At the end of your path lies the truth, my ass."

He glances up when Souji doesn't immediately respond, and sees the other boy staring off into the distance, brow furrowed in thought. "You... didn't really pay much attention to the lecture on the school trip, did you?" Souji says, after a long moment.

"What? No. Why?"

"Because... Izanami..." Souji turns and gives Yosuke a serious look, his eyes narrowed. "And my Persona... I can't feel any of the others now. Just one..." He takes a few steps away from Yosuke, then reaches out into the air. Yosuke takes a step back, involuntarily, as the transfigured Izanagi materializes above Souji.

Souji's hand drops to his side, but the Persona doesn't vanish. "You're Izanagi, I can tell," he says, slowly. "But you're different, too... your arcana..."

_The World, the completion of a cycle; after every path has been traveled, there remains only one thing, one final step - the truth._

The echo comes out of nowhere, and Yosuke makes a surprised noise; it sounds like the long-nosed man from the Velvet Room. But Souji just turns, a determined expression on his face, then looks up at his Persona. "She's waiting for us, isn't she? I'm sorry I took so long." Souji glances back at Yosuke again. "That goes for you too. For everybody."

"Dude, you couldn't help it," Yosuke says, firmly. "We're the ones who're sorry..." But if they go around in apologetic circles, nothing's going to get done - and Yosuke has the weirdest feeling that now they have options beyond sitting in this fog forever. "What're you going to do now?"

"What're _we_ going to do now," Souji corrects him. "Anyway, shouldn't I ask _you_ that? Aren't you the leader now?"

Yosuke stares at him; there's a faint smile on his best friend's face. "Only because you... weren't around." But he can't help but feel a little pleased, a little proud. They did pretty well, considering the odds. Maybe he wasn't so bad at this leader thing. "Anyway, I can't give _you_ orders. It'd be weird. We're equals, right? Partners?" Souji nods, and Yosuke grins sheepishly. "If you have an idea, hey, go for it. I'm fresh out."

Souji gives him a grateful smile. "At the end of the path lies the truth, huh?" He reaches out into the air again, this time with his left hand, and comes back with a sword in his grip. "Then we've got work to do."

And this, _this_ is how it's supposed to be, the two of them together, and the fact that neither of them are breathing doesn't matter. "Let's go, partner," Yosuke agrees, running to Souji's side. He has no idea what's coming next, but... well, that doesn't matter either.

Souji squares his shoulders, then nods at his Persona. "We're ready. Take us to her."

Yosuke feels Souji reach for his hand just before Izanagi-no-Okami nods in return, and the world goes white.


	9. Truth

One moment, they're standing in the fog - the next, they're back on the platform at the summit of Yomotsu Hirasaka, with the stench of the rotting goddess rolling over them. Yosuke realizes with a jolt that they're not alone; he's standing next to Souji, but the others are there too, eyes wide with confusion and disbelief.

"S-Senpai?!" That's Rise, and a moment later Chie and Kanji start towards them both, the others only a few steps behind. But Souji glances back at them, a desperate look in his eyes, and they stop moving even though Yosuke can tell they're all aching to run to their Leader's side. But there's something more important now than this-

_"You."_

That single word cuts through everything else, and then there's no time to think, to tell the others what's happened. Izanami-no-Okami's limbs arch out towards the white figure floating above Souji's head. "You," she repeats, leaning down, her rotting face now clearly visible as she stares at them. "You... should _not be here._" Yosuke can't tell if she's talking to Souji or to his Persona.

"Izanami," Souji says, and Yosuke hears the very faint tremble in his voice; then Souji renews his grip on his sword and that faint sign of fear vanishes again.

But the goddess ignores Souji completely, in favor of his Persona; Izanagi-no-Okami simply nods, just once, and her face contorts into anger. "How _dare_ you come here now, like this, with _them_," she snarls - and, to Yosuke's horror, the ground beneath them begins to blacken again.

Yosuke hears the others cry out and throws all his weight desperately at Souji, trying to make him _move_. Souji stumbles to one side but manages to keep his balance - if only barely. "Yosuke, don't-" and the dark, grasping hands rise, yet they pass right through them all before sinking back into the floor.

"Impossible," Izanami-no-Okami hisses, recoiling.

"We're here now," Souji says, quietly.

The goddess stretches her limbs, and Yosuke flinches as a cascade of lightning crashes down on them all - but once again the attack is futile. "Can the will of so few surpass the will of all mankind?!" Izanami-no-Okami breathes. "How can your powers rival mine?" Again a haze of lightning bolts descends, making every hair stand on end, but somehow they're all still standing afterwards. _"Why?"_ the goddess snarls, her voice almost anguished. "Why can't you understand? It's impossible for humans to grasp the truth with their own hands!"

"It's not impossible," Souji says, looking up at the goddess, his sword held in a guard position in front of him.

Yosuke nods, and raises his own voice. "We can understand our own truths, the truth about who and what we are... and we can change it!"

"Not in a day, not in a year... but we _can_," Yukiko affirms, from behind them. "We'll keep searching and figuring out who we are."

"And the people we left behind will, too!" Rise's voice is firm, stubborn. "That's the only reason we're here now - because of them!"

"That is the truth that _you_ don't understand," Naoto finishes, triumphantly.

The goddess' gaze flicks down at Souji, as if seeing him for the first time. "You're the one I touched," she whispers. "The one that fell. And yet..." Her attention shifts back to Souji's Persona. "And you descend into Yomi again, Izanagi... _why?_"

If the Persona replies, Yosuke doesn't hear it - but there's suddenly a weapon in Izanagi-no-Okami's hands. Souji gently pushes Yosuke away as the Persona straightens to its full height, blade held in front of it. "Because none of us are going to run away from the truth now," Souji says, quietly. He raises one arm and steadies himself, then closes his eyes.

Izanagi-no-Okami whirls the blade in a circle, and a blaze of light strongly reminiscent of the orb of sight leaps forth, striking Izanami-no-Okami's rotting form. The goddess convulses, twisting as if to try and get away, but there is no escape - everywhere she turns there's _light_, shining, burning, illuminating.

And then, with a cry, Izanami-no-Okami folds in on herself, all her limbs going limp and sagging, drooping downwards. The Persona immediately lowers its weapon, and for a moment Yosuke gets the sense that the white being regrets what it's had to do. "T-this can't be," the goddess gasps, her voice brittle. "How can _I_ be the one that disappears? _What do you want?_ Wouldn't it be easier to wrap yourselves in lies and live in blissful ignorance? Isn't _that_ true peace for humans?"

Souji opens his mouth, then stops as another voice breaks the silence first. "How many times do we have to tell you?! To hell with that shit!" Kanji shouts, from behind them.

"Stop assuming you know us!" Chie adds, her voice trembling and triumphant.

The goddess pauses, then actually laughs, and there's no trace of mockery in her tone now. "Very... very well. Then _try_ and live your way. Power enough to erase my existence... you have already exceeded what I thought humanity to be capable of. You have lifted the fog in this world, as well as the fog in your own. And whether that will lead to happiness or not... rests upon your shoulders."

She extends one rotting limb, then, reaching out to Izanagi-no-Okami. "I was sister, lover, mother once," she says, and there's regret in her tone; the Persona looks at her in understanding silence, raises one hand to touch the goddess' own. "Yet now I take a thousand lives each day... to your thousand five hundred given new life. These were part of the former. Yet now, I think they must be part of the latter as well..."

Izanagi-no-Okami nods again, and the goddess smiles. "One last gift." Motes of light begin to break off of her form. "Children of man... well done." And then she stretches upwards, fading, thinning in the air with a cry - but she leaves something behind, something that sweeps over them all as Izanagi-no-Okami bows its head and vanishes.

Yosuke's first impression is pain, searing, an unbearable pressure in his chest; he stumbles back and falls to his knees as mist clouds his vision. _Ow it hurts why does it hurt so much I can't- I have to-_

Breathe-

Yosuke's eyes widen as he takes a long, deep breath and feels the thud of his own heartbeat, then winces as all the ignored aches and pains of their strenuous battle reawaken to collect their toll - but the mist is clearing now, and his breath catches in his throat as the last bits of haze wash away. The goddess is gone, Yomotsu Hirasaka is gone, the fog is gone... and in its place there's _life_, a whole brilliant world waking up around them; warm sunlight, a gentle breeze, the hush of water, and the scent of flowers.

_We're... alive again...?_

Yosuke looks up, sees Souji wobbling on his feet; his friend stumbles, and falls. "Souji!" Yosuke cries, lunging forward to catch Souji before he can hit the ground, a sharp fear rising in his throat. "Please-" _I can't- not again-_

But Souji looks up at him, and tugs Yosuke's glasses off of his nose. "H-hey... seriously, I can't breathe."

Youke stares at him, then fumbles, pressing one hand to Souji's chest. "You're..."

And then the others are all over them, stunned, gasping, crying, and laughing.


	10. Life

"How on earth are we _ever_ going to explain this?" Naoto says, shaking her head and smiling; they're all laying on the grass on a sun-covered hillside, breathing in the fresh, clean air of this new world.

Souji winces, just a little. "Oh, I don't think anyone will notice the Midnight Channel," he begins, only to get cut off by Yosuke elbowing him lightly. "I... have no idea."

It certainly is a problem, considering they'd rather not give any of Souji's family a heart attack, and Yosuke really has no clue how they're going to explain any of it. While at the moment the actual explanation doesn't seem to matter so much - here under the warm sun, all together, all alive - there's a hesitation in Souji's words now, and Yosuke turns his head enough to shoot Chie a worried glance.

Chie nods, just slightly, then gets to her feet and stretches. "Anyone up for a swim? I want to wash all that dead-goddess stink off."

"That's a great idea," Yukiko chimes in, smiling softly as she gets up. "What about you guys?"

"I'm way too tired to move," Souji says, quietly. "You go ahead, though."

"I'll stay with you, Sensei-" Teddie begins, but Rise grabs him by one ear and tugs, hard.

So Chie, Yukiko, and Rise go, with Teddie asking them urgent questions about scoring that will probably get him thrown into the sparkling new lake. Kanji and Naoto end up walking away together, saying something about exploring, and then it's just the two of them left on the grassy hillside, looking up into the cloudless sky.

"Reminds me of the riverbank," Souji says, after a moment.

"Heh, I haven't been down there in a long time. Not since... well, you know."

There's a long silence, then a soft sound as Souji shifts position. Yosuke leans his head to one side to glance at his best friend, then sits up sharply, breath catching in his throat - because Souji isn't laying down on the grass anymore. He's sitting up, knees hugged to his chest, trembling in every limb.

"S-Souji!" Yosuke scrambles to sit up too, and scoots over to wrap one arm around Souji's shoulders, holding him tightly. "You okay?!"

"No... sorry..." comes the muffled reply, and a shudder runs through Souji's frame as he shifts to lean heavily against Yosuke. "Everything was so... so scattered and you said I... really... was _dead_... I- what're we going to do now-"

Yosuke just squeezes him tighter. While Souji's always taken things in stride, what's happened to him is profoundly disturbing, entirely outside anyone's definition of normal. He's sort of amazed that Souji managed to hold it together this long, but at the same time, it's very like Souji to wait until the important things are finished before letting himself collapse. "Hey, so were we... I mean, not for months, but-"

Souji buries his head in his hands. "But they- I- you said my _body_ showed up on top of Junes, and they _cremated_ it... me-" He abruptly pulls his hands away from his face and pinches the back of one hand hard enough to bruise. "Ow-"

"Souji..." is the only thing Yosuke can think of to say; what the hell do you say at a time like this, anyway? There's no precedent.

"And everyone," Souji continues, still trembling, "you all... it had to hurt so much, and my _parents_ and my uncle and oh _god_, Nanako-chan..." He turns to look at Yosuke, frightened, guilty tears tracing down his cheeks. "And it was so... so... _damn_ it-"

"I know," Yosuke says, quietly. "I... saw everything, all those... everything." _All the little pieces_ is what he doesn't say aloud, because that's really not going to be a comforting thought for Souji, imagining himself all broken up into mindless bits and echoes. But Souji shudders again, and Yosuke has a feeling that the thought's come to mind anyway.

And it _is_ like the riverbank, like when Yosuke cried for Saki-senpai, only this time it's Souji crying and shaking for those lost months, for all the pain they all suffered at his loss, for a seemingly endless time spent floating senseless in a sea of noise. So Yosuke tries to do for Souji what his best friend did for him that day, way back when. He holds on, and after a moment Souji turns, lets go of his own knees, and clings to Yosuke instead. It's a strange thing, to whisper quiet reassurances and lightly stroke at his friend's hair, but if anyone's earned the right to break down now, it's Souji.

Yosuke's not really sure how long they sit there, with the warm breeze carrying the scent of flowers past them. But, eventually, Souji takes a deep, shuddering breath and pulls back a little, easing his desperate grip on Yosuke's clothing; his face is tear-stained, eyes red, reflecting a bone-deep exhaustion that Yosuke can only barely comprehend. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "I'm so sorry - I can't imagine... how much it hurt... but you did what I couldn't do..."

"... Any of us would have done the same thing," Yosuke tries, before his voice fails him, and he has to pause for a moment to get his composure back - because it _had_ hurt, more than anything. "I... I would have done everything just the same, I think, even if things didn't turn out this way..."

_Well. No. Not everything._

"Look, I..." The words echo in Yosuke's mind, carrying with them the hopelessness of that foggy night, of the sight of Souji's body tangled in the telephone wires atop Junes - but the pain of that memory is eroding under the warm sun, with Souji leaning against him. "Damnit, I didn't manage to say this properly before-"

Souji just looks at him, still with that lost look in his tired eyes.

Yosuke sighs. If there's ever a time for this, it's now. _Even if it should have been months ago._ "I just... I _need_ you, damnit," he mumbles. "I need you. I... love you." He hears Souji make a small, startled noise, feels him tense, and wonders if he's said the wrong thing. Yosuke ducks his head and closes his eyes as he presses his lips against Souji's; they did this and more back then, but that was - literally - a lifetime ago.

For a moment, Souji is completely still, not moving at all, but then his lips part under Yosuke's. It's quick, relatively chaste in comparison, but somehow profoundly intimate for all that. When Yosuke shakily pulls back and opens his eyes, Souji is smiling - just a little, but what's there is genuine. "Something to come back to," he says, quietly.

"_God_, I missed you," Yosuke breathes before Souji returns the kiss, and this time it isn't chaste in the least.

And they're going to have a lot to explain - why and how Souji can _possibly_ be alive and well when the seven of them saw him die, when his family saw his corpse; and, to a much lesser extent, why he and Yosuke are now kissing each other desperately on a sun-drenched hillside in what used to be the twisted, deadly world inside the television. And it's not going to be easy, none of it, and there will be a lot of hard questions and a lot of pain when it comes to the first part... yet there will also be joy, and terrified gratitude.

And the second part will help immeasurably.

"Love you, too," Souji whispers, tangling his fingers into Yosuke's hair.

"Don't ever leave me-"

"I won't."

For right now, none of the hard questions matter.


End file.
